U.S.-North Korea Talks Show Progress

Published: August 9, 1994

PARIS, Aug. 8—
The United States and North Korea said today that they had made some progress in dealing with an array of issues related to North Korea's nuclear program and its future.

After nine hours of talks in the North Korean Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, North Korea's chief delegate, Kang Sok Ju, said he had a proposal for handling 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods, which Washington fears might be reprocessed into weapons-grade plutonium. He did not offer details.

North Korea has said it is risking an accident if the fuel, now in a cooling pond, is not reprocessed or treated by the end of August.

Mr. Kang said North Korea was also ready to freeze its construction of graphite nuclear reactors in exchange for "proper" compensation and a light-water reactor. Washington favors the change because light-water reactors yield less plutonium.

Robert L. Gallucci, who heads the American negotiating team, said talks would resume on Wednesday.

Washington wants North Korea to accept inspections of all its nuclear installations and put its plutonium under international control.